In this paper, we use a location-based model to predict the performance of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) over a varying wireless channel between a UAV and ground nodes. As a UAV traverses its flight path, the wireless channel may experience periods of significant packet loss, successful packet delivery, and intermittent reception. By capturing packet run-length and gap-length statisti...

Thirty-six pilots (31 men, 5 women) were tested in a flight simulator on their ability to intercept a pathway depicted on a highway-in-the-sky (HITS) display. While intercepting and flying the pathway, pilots were required to watch for traffic outside the cockpit. Additionally, pilots were tested on their awareness of speed, altitude, and heading during the flight. Results indicated that the pr...

Wind has a significant effect on the control of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), resulting in changes in their ground speed and direction, which has an important influence on the results of integrated optimization of UAV task allocation and path planning. The objective of this integrated optimization problem changes from minimizing flight distance to minimizing flight time. In this s...

Prey pursuit by an echolocating bat was studied theoretically and experimentally. First, a mathematical model was proposed to describe the flight dynamics of a bat and a single prey. In this model, the flight angle of the bat was affected by [Formula: see text] angles related to the flight path of the single moving prey, that is, the angle from the bat to the prey and the flight angle of the pr...

Several years of NASA research have produced the air traffic management operational concept of ‘Autonomous Flight Management’ with high potential for operational feasibility, significant system and user benefits, and safety. Among the chief potential benefits are demand-adaptive or ‘scalable’ capacity, user flexibility and autonomy that may finally enable truly successful business strategies, a...

Airborne separation assurance is a key requirement for free flight operations. This paper investigates the feasibility of airborne separation assurance for free flight by evaluating the performance of Conflict Detection and Resolution (CD&R) schemes in a simulated air traffic environment. Two qualitatively different CD&R methods were evaluated in an air traffic simulation environment provided b...